So you’ve decided to become an online entrepreneur. Congrats! Your dream has finally come true. You can now be your own boss, work your own hours, and live your ideal lifestyle. Woo hoo!
The problem is that becoming a successful online business owner doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be rich, famous, or have enough free time to enjoy your life. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and the ability to recognize the occasional fact from fiction.
Here’s the deal: Being an entrepreneur is great, but you’ll never be truly successful if you don’t know how to market your business. The purpose of this article is to dispel some of the common myths surrounding marketing and business in general, as well as provide some much needed practical information.
Myth #1: Marketing Is Marketing. Is It Really?
This is the kind of question you might ask yourself after deciding to dive headfirst into the world of online business marketing. So, you’ve built your website. You’ve bought products to test and promote. You’ve even invested in an adwords account, all in the hopeful belief that people will come to your site looking for the products you’re promoting. Your dream has come true; you’re now officially an online business owner.
If you’ve been doing marketing wrong all this time, it’s time to stop putting all your eggs in one basket. Although your website is a great source of information about your products, it’s not necessarily the best place for people to find what they’re looking for. If you want to be taken seriously as a potential online business partner or vendor, you need to stop thinking in terms of “marketing” and start thinking in terms of “communication.”
Marketing is the process of getting your product or service in front of the right audience. It entails getting the word out there that you exist, and that you have what people are looking for. So, in the case of mydigitalstrategy.com, I’m using various methods to communicate with potential customers, including;
- blogging about my products and services
- responding to comments on my blog posts
- asking people to leave reviews on Google, and other review sites
- participating in social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook
- and the list goes on
Myth #2: SEO Is The Key To Online Marketing.
Another widely believed myth that keeps entrepreneurs from being truly successful is the idea that search engine optimization (SEO) is all you need to succeed as an online marketer. In fact, SEO can be a very helpful tool, but you shouldn’t rely on it exclusively. There are many different ways to get the word out there about your product or service, and SEO is just one of them.
If you want to be taken seriously as a potential online business partner or vendor, you need to prove to potential customers that you know what you’re doing. One easy way to do this is by regularly publishing content on your website, including blog posts, videos, and other types of content.
Publishing content means that you’re constantly adding new material to your website. This provides search engines with more opportunities to find your site, and it also means that other websites are constantly pulling in content from your site, making it more and more available to consumers.
Myth #3: Social Media Is A Marketing Tool, Not A Platform.
A third myth that keeps entrepreneurs from being successful is the idea that social media is just a tool used for marketing. Although social media is a great way to connect with potential customers, it’s not necessarily a tool used for marketing. For instance, I have a Facebook page where I communicate with fans about my products. However, I don’t post there to try and sell them my products. I use my Facebook page to connect with fans, and let them know about my upcoming events and giveaways.
If you want to be taken seriously as a potential online business partner or vendor, you need to be mindful about what you post on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Make sure that you’re not misrepresenting your business or violating any laws, and try not to be too promotional. Keep your posts professional and try to maintain a good balance between marketing and interacting with your audience.
Myth #4: PPC Is The Key To Online Marketing.
A fourth myth that keeps entrepreneurs from being successful is the idea that Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is all you need to succeed as an online marketer. PPC is a way of advertising on Google, or other search engines, where you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. It can be a very effective tool, but you shouldn’t rely on it exclusively. There are many different ways to get the word out there about your product or service, including;
- getting press releases emailed to potential customers
- joining online communities of entrepreneurs and sharing your product or service info
- responding to comments on your blog posts
- asking people to leave reviews on Google, and other review sites
- participating in social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook
- and the list goes on
In summary, if you want to be successful in the online world, you need to be willing to put in the work. You’ll have to build a reputation for being an authoritative source of information on your chosen topics. When you do, you’ll be able to market your business and services to people who actually want what you have to offer. Good luck out there.